Good shop vacuum?

Terry Keeley · Jun 25, 2020

Add Shop-vac to the long list of companies that have gone for shit.

Needed a set of brushes for my QPL650, couldn't find a part number so I called. You can't buy just brushes, you have to buy the whole power head unit. Not just the motor, the entire top half of the vacuum! OK, $120, can I come pick one up. Nope, back ordered, possibly 4-8 weeks. Google around and find what I think are the brushes from Dayton but they're not in stock anywhere. Go to a vacuum repair shop and get similar brushes that arc so bad no matter what I do the motor eventually burns up. Yes I turned the armature and changed the bearings.

OK, rant over. So what's a good (commercial?) shop vacuum these days. One you can get parts for if needed besides a new hose or "micro cleaning" kit?

ChipSplitter · Jun 25, 2020

I've been dreaming about this already........

My thoughts were to make a vacuum that mounts on a 55 gallon drum and uses the drum for the container.
And yes, there are companies that do this very thing but they use impeller type fans or venturi nozzles.
I was thinkin' a proper vacuum pump with a real filtration system.

I guess I'll have to do it on Kickstarter like GenericDefault and his Swiss-Mak........ :cloud9:

Mud · Jun 25, 2020

Goodway is top shelf and priced accordingly. I have one, it's awesome. Since then I went to the dark side, Since everything today seems to be disposable , I bought disposable vacuums. I have a couple Bucket Max units, they sit on top of a 5 gallon bucket. I intended them to be thrown away after they got nasty, but the guys in the shop keep using them and they just don't quit. I have 3 now, all are several years old, over 5 for sure. I've never fixed a thing on them but the hose is soggy rotten from coolant and the cords look bad. For $25 or so just throw the whole unit bucket and all in the dumpster when you don't want to clean it any more.

DDoug · Jun 25, 2020

ChipSplitter said:
I've been dreaming about this already........

My thoughts were to make a vacuum that mounts on a 55 gallon drum and uses the drum for the container.
And yes, there are companies that do this very thing but they use impeller type fans or venturi nozzles.
I was thinkin' a proper vacuum pump with a real filtration system.

I guess I'll have to do it on Kickstarter like GenericDefault and his Swiss-Mak........

Tornado makes just such a unit, have seen them with (1) or (2) screaming motors on top of a 55 gallon drum. They have a big inflating bag for the fines.

Sit down for the price though, the blower units (sold for insulation machines) are $700 each.

DDoug · Jun 25, 2020

I see nilfisk are made in Pennsylvania, and are top rated.

pavt · Jun 25, 2020

How many HP is it??? :popcorn:

Seriously? Best shop vac I ever saw belonged to the Chimney sweep back when we heated with wood. He had a 55-gal barrel with a old furnace blower mounted on the lid, to pull the air thru. Hose hooked up to a spud on the side of the barrel. Regular old induction motor with a belt, the blower was about a foot in diameter.

Scruffy887 · Jun 25, 2020

I have had several Shop Vacs. Good units. But Home Desperate units work just as well. In the end they are disposable. Simple things make them and the filters last longer. But at some point the hoses and other parts are the parts you want to save. 5 years is not so bad.

DDoug · Jun 25, 2020

pavt said:
How many HP is it???

Seriously? Best shop vac I ever saw belonged to the Chimney sweep back when we heated with wood. He had a 55-gal barrel with a old furnace blower mounted on the lid, to pull the air thru. Hose hooked up to a spud on the side of the barrel. Regular old induction motor with a belt, the blower was about a foot in diameter.

Welcome to Tornado Industries

And:
Products | Nilfisk Official Website

And "3 phase portables"...:
Three Phase Wet & Dry | Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums

Terry Keeley · Jun 25, 2020

Mud said:
Goodway is top shelf and priced accordingly. I have one, it's awesome. Since then I went to the dark side, Since everything today seems to be disposable , I bought disposable vacuums. I have a couple Bucket Max units, they sit on top of a 5 gallon bucket. I intended them to be thrown away after they got nasty, but the guys in the shop keep using them and they just don't quit. I have 3 now, all are several years old, over 5 for sure. I've never fixed a thing on them but the hose is soggy rotten from coolant and the cords look bad. For $25 or so just throw the whole unit bucket and all in the dumpster when you don't want to clean it any more.

Goodway looks US Made industrial quality but I'm kinda wondering if the small 1.5" hose will clog up often with chips?

Looking at the models on pg. 123 - 125:

https://html5.dcatalog.com/?docid=3797db8a-b27c-4fda-83bb-8f4db133c9be&page=126

Terry Keeley · Jun 25, 2020

digger doug said:
Welcome to Tornado Industries

And:
Products | Nilfisk Official Website

And "3 phase portables"...:
Three Phase Wet & Dry | Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums

Niskfil look like quality too but all 1.5" hose as well, WTF?

Anything that looks like it's made for a shop with larger hose is 100+ lbs.

Turbowerks · Jun 25, 2020

My idea of a shop vac after trying most was, after sitting around board to death one night was i have a 8-71 gmc roots blower off a old flow testing project with a 5 hp motor and vfd running it. It would move over 600 cfm at 28 inches of water. Idea was to mount it outside ( noise is ridiculous) on a cyclone dumping into a barrel or other container and pipe 3 inch pvc around shop with hose couplers scattered. It would take a little time but think as a industrial central vac like in a house. Just need time. I have a ventury style that goes in a 55 drum to clean out coolant but I’ve collapsed a couple drums if you plug the hose kinda surprising when it happens. Messy too

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

gusmadison · Jun 25, 2020

I realize the OP's quest is to purchase a good shop vac, but while we are also swapping stories about such matters...

When my Dayton vac motor finally went bad, I took an old, built like a tank (free) Kirby upright and stripped the handle and wheels, bolted it face down in place of the original Dayton. Had to use a small circle of 3/4" plywood as a simple adapter plate. Works a treat and has a nice on/off button sticking straight up and it's own power cord.

The other part worth mentioning is the purposed clearance of the impeller to outer housing on any house vacuum is large enough to let the odd bobby pin or whatever to be sucked up and run through. That clearance is no longer needed in the new application on shop vac with a filter ahead of it. In other words, no pass through of debris takes place. So, if you simply mill a bit off the mating surface and tighten up that clearance, you dramatically improve suction on what was already pretty darn good from the factory as a floor vac.

Just throwin' that out there.

Bluechipx · Jun 26, 2020

There was a video going around awhile back of a five gallon bucket inline before the actual vacuum cleaner, it swirled the air and caught 99% of the particles. The demo showed a guy emptying five gallons of sawdust on the floor, then showing a perfectly clean vacuum canister and filter. Then with the swirl attachment inline he vacuumed the entire sawdust pile up. When the actual vacuum was opened there was barely a handful of sawdust in the vacuum cleaner, all of it was in the five gallon bucket for easy disposable. The video showed how to make one yourself out of pvc fittings, but they are available online. I bought a premade one and haven't got around to trying it yet.

Larry Dickman · Jun 26, 2020

I went through a few "Shop Vacs", they are shit. I've had real good luck with Rigid.

camscan · Jun 26, 2020

Freddy are good,wet or dry.

Scottl · Jun 26, 2020

Bluechipx said:
There was a video going around awhile back of a five gallon bucket inline before the actual vacuum cleaner, it swirled the air and caught 99% of the particles. The demo showed a guy emptying five gallons of sawdust on the floor, then showing a perfectly clean vacuum canister and filter. Then with the swirl attachment inline he vacuumed the entire sawdust pile up. When the actual vacuum was opened there was barely a handful of sawdust in the vacuum cleaner, all of it was in the five gallon bucket for easy disposable. The video showed how to make one yourself out of pvc fittings, but they are available online. I bought a premade one and haven't got around to trying it yet.

I don't know if it is still sold but some years ago I bought a Bucket Max Wet/Dry unit at Lowes to use exclusively for chip collection. It snaps onto a 5-gallon pail with two latches. I added a PVC standpipe inside connected with a rubber connector. Inside I keep about 2 inches of water with dishwasher detergent to de-emulsify the cutting oil. Unlike regular dish detergent the dishwasher detergent won't foam up and blow out the exhaust.

One caveat: The hose supplied on the unit is very short but it is a standard 2-1/4" inlet so an old longer hose could be used.

It really sucks, and I mean that in a positive way.

Larry Dickman said:
I went through a few "Shop Vacs", they are shit. I've had real good luck with Rigid.

Same here, good luck with the Ridgid. The only drawback is the odd-sized hose but since they have a standard size inlet another hose can be swapped. An ultra-flexible 12-foot 35MM Bosch is on mine most of the time.

mountie · Jun 26, 2020

Bluechipx said:
There was a video going around awhile back of a five gallon bucket inline before the actual vacuum cleaner, it swirled the air and caught 99% of the particles. The demo showed a guy emptying five gallons of sawdust on the floor, then showing a perfectly clean vacuum canister and filter. Then with the swirl attachment inline he vacuumed the entire sawdust pile up. When the actual vacuum was opened there was barely a handful of sawdust in the vacuum cleaner, all of it was in the five gallon bucket for easy disposable. The video showed how to make one yourself out of pvc fittings, but they are available online. I bought a premade one and haven't got around to trying it yet.

Try this: YouTube

Mud · Jun 26, 2020

Terry Keeley said:
Goodway looks US Made industrial quality but I'm kinda wondering if the small 1.5" hose will clog up often with chips?

Looking at the models on pg. 123 - 125:

https://html5.dcatalog.com/?docid=3797db8a-b27c-4fda-83bb-8f4db133c9be&page=126

I have a VAC-2. I have a 2" smooth bore hose and it handles chips fine, as long as you pick up the 8" long snakes from HSS drills first. It's a little heavy to drag around a big machine so I couple a shortish cheap 1.5" or 1.25" hose on the end so I can easily pull it off and reverse it to clear it if it does get clogged.

FredC · Jun 26, 2020

ChipSplitter said:
I've been dreaming about this already........

My thoughts were to make a vacuum that mounts on a 55 gallon drum and uses the drum for the container.
And yes, there are companies that do this very thing but they use impeller type fans or venturi nozzles.
I was thinkin' a proper vacuum pump with a real filtration system.

I guess I'll have to do it on Kickstarter like GenericDefault and his Swiss-Mak........

Use the power head from car wash vacuums? Not sure which brand is best but there are several available. I had one at the old shop but left it there. It had 2 power heads and I could plug one for moderate continuous use.

pavt · Jun 26, 2020

digger doug said:
Welcome to Tornado Industries

And:
Products | Nilfisk Official Website

And "3 phase portables"...:
Three Phase Wet & Dry | Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums

Hrm, interesting.... the one that the chimney sweep had must have been shop made. I had an employer once, with a Nilfisk though, they worked well enough at powdered metals.

Good shop vacuum?

Titanium

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Stainless

Titanium

Diamond

Titanium

Titanium

Cast Iron

Cast Iron

Hot Rolled

Titanium

Titanium

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Diamond

Stainless

Similar threads